A 999 caller told police he had seen a UFO-like mysterious object hovering above his house â only to realise it was the moon.

The moon, not a UFO (Picture: Daily Mail)

Call handlers at the Hertfordshire police department received a call after 8pm from a resident claiming to have seen a UFO with blazing lights, visible from his window. The genuine panic from the man led to the call handlers treating the sighting as a serious matter.

When asked if the object was making any recognisable engine noises, the caller said he could not hear anything like that.

The police decided to release the audio of the phone call online, not only making people aware of the silliness of potential prank calls but also as a means of informing call handlers and the force of what to expect over Halloween.

Jason Baxter, assistant manager at the force communications room, said: ‘While the caller here may not have been phoning out of malice, his call still tied up valuable police resources and time for something which was not an emergency.

‘It also illustrates the kind of bogus call we might receive to 999, whether as a hoax or an inappropriate call.’